


Taking Stock

by misura



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-10
Updated: 2011-04-10
Packaged: 2017-11-26 02:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/645597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>The headline's on the frontpage, in big, bold script, complete with a picture of Kaiba looking calm and smug and in control (and </i>hot<i>, Jounouchi finds himself thinking, before he can shut down that part of his brains, the part that's every bit as stupid and idiotic as Kaiba's always made him out to be).</i></p><p>
  <i>'KAIBA CORP CEO COMES OUT OF THE CLOSET'</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taking Stock

The headline's on the frontpage, in big, bold script, complete with a picture of Kaiba looking calm and smug and in control (and _hot_ , Jounouchi finds himself thinking, before he can shut down that part of his brains, the part that's every bit as stupid and idiotic as Kaiba's always made him out to be).

'KAIBA CORP CEO COMES OUT OF THE CLOSET - KAIBA SETO: IT'S TIME FOR THE TRUTH'

There's an article which Jounouchi skips because he can guess what it says already - guess what _Kaiba_ says already. It's a Monday, and sunny - he doesn't need the sound of Kaiba's voice ruining it for him.

In the financial section, there's a smaller article, which he does read, against his better judgment, because Jounouchi's spent a really long time disliking Kaiba and it's hard to shake old habits.

'KAIBA CORP STOCK PLUMMETS'

Really, it doesn't take a lot of brains to see something of a connection there.

 

On Tuesday, when he gets home from work, Jounouchi takes his cards out of the drawer he put them in close to three years ago. He hasn't played - hasn't _dueled_ for closer to four years, but he kept carrying the cards around anyway, just in case.

He imagines telling his colleagues he used to play Duel Monsters. It embarrasses him, and then it embarrasses him that he feels embarrassed. There's nothing _wrong_ with playing games when you're a kid. Everybody's done it. He's a grown up now.

When he calls Kaiba Corp's 24/7 service line, he gets put on hold for half an hour before someone tells him it is not possible for him to speak with Kaiba, no, not even for an old friend.

Jounouchi wonders why the words ('but I'm an old friend of his') don't leave more of a bad taste in his mouth. He's never thought of Kaiba as a friend, and he's pretty sure Kaiba's only got enemies - and, now, it seems, possibly a boyfriend, because why _else_ would he be coming out to the media?

 

On Wednesday, during his lunch break, Jounouchi walks to the Kaiba Corp building. It's very tall. The reception area is crowded - a lot of people with cameras and a few people waving signs that inform Kaiba they do not approve of his sexuality in terms Jounouchi finds kind of offensive.

Kaiba's called him a mutt, a dog, a good-for-nothing, a hanger-on and an idiot.

Jounouchi's called Kaiba a moneybags, heartless, stupid, a (sore) loser and a moron.

They may not have ever gone overboard with the affection, but at least they've always kept things polite between the two of them.

After about five minutes, Jounouchi figures that Kaiba's not going to magically know he's there and dispatch some security guy to discretely get him inside. He feels kind of stupid.

Some things really haven't changed at all.

 

On Thursday, the phone on Jounouchi's desk starts ringing just when he's drinking his first cup of coffee of the day. He's not in the Sales department, and he's not scheduled to be in any meetings today.

"Jounouchi," he says, at the same time Kaiba says: "Jounouchi."

In theory, Jounouchi's phone could have been picked up by anyone. "Kaiba."

In practice, there is no way Kaiba could have gotten a hold of Jounouchi's number at work. He's given it to his sister, his father and Yuugi. He never thought he and Kaiba would have anything to say to one another.

"You appear to have taken something of an interest in me," Kaiba says, sounding smug.

Old reflexes kick in. "No, I don't."

"I saw you on the security tapes from yesterday," Kaiba says.

There were a lot of people around, and Jounouchi's only stayed for five minutes. There must have been ten hours of tape at the very least. "Liar."

Kaiba chuckles. "We have special facial recognition software that looks for known persons in the database. Business rivals, known criminals - those sort of people."

"Cute."

"Still having trouble with speaking in full sentences, I hear."

"Listen," Jounouchi says, "you want to talk or something? Face to face, I mean."

"Or something?" Kaiba sounds amused.

Jounouchi's cards are a solid weight in the pocket of his trousers. He's almost forgotten what it feels like to carry them around with him wherever he goes. "Fine. You suck, and I challenge you to a duel."

"Done," Kaiba says. "I'll have your receptionist plan in an appointment."

 

The warehouse looks nicer on the inside than it does on the outside. It's still a warehouse, though. There are security guards standing by both doors, every window and (Jounouchi suspects) a few on the roof.

"Are you expecting someone to try and kidnap you or something?" Jounouchi asks, before he can swallow those last two words.

"There has been a slight increase in the amount of death threats I've been receiving, yes," Kaiba says matter-of-factly. "Although, mostly, these people are here for you."

"Me?" Jounouchi gets this vision of being held down by four beefy goons with sunglasses while a fifth one is beating him up, with Kaiba watching.

Kaiba shrugs. "A picture of me meeting with _anyone_ who is male and about my age would be worth quite a bit right now. A picture of me meeting with someone I've been ... associating with for years ... well. I'm sure you'd prefer not to find out what sort of impact that would have on your life."

"Oh." It occurs to Jounouchi that Kaiba may not be as all-knowing and all-powerful as he's tricked Jounouchi into believing he is, five years ago. It also occurs to Jounouchi that he might have figured this out a lot sooner, or last Wednesday, at the very least. "So why'd you do it, anyway?"

Kaiba picks up a duel disk from the table. It's the old model, the one they used way back when. "It's been a while since I've dueled anyone worth my time," he says, and it takes Jounouchi a moment to realize that to Kaiba, he's answering Jounouchi's question.

"I meant: why come out? You knew it wasn't going to be all rainbows and sunshine." Kaiba's got a lot of people to tell him what other people are going to think.

Kaiba puts his deck into the slot. "I'm ready," he says.

 

Jounouchi tells Kaiba about the Christmas cards he used to get from Mai - Kaiba tells Jounouchi about Mokuba's growing list of ex-girlfriends.

"He's too nice," Kaiba says, almost defensively. "He should say 'no' more often."

Nobody could ever accuse Kaiba of being 'too nice'. The only reason he's buying Jounouchi coffee is because they're in Kaiba Corp's cafeteria, Jounouchi thinks - it's like paying himself.

"He'll settle down eventually," Jounouchi says, trying not to sound comforting. He doesn't think Kaiba will take well to that kind of tone.

Kaiba grumbles a little.

"So, you and the boyfriend going to push for marriage or something?" Jounouchi asks, because he's been sitting on this question for _hours_ and Kaiba is clearly not going to volunteer any information about his personal life, no matter how many anecdotes about him and Mai Jounouchi's going to share.

Kaiba sighs. "There is no boyfriend."

Jounouchi wonders if he imagines the 'yet' at the end of that sentence. Probably not. For Kaiba to come out as gay, there must at least be _someone_. "Prospective boyfriend, then."

Kaiba looks at him over the rim of his cup of coffee.

The name would probably be worth millions to the media. "Never mind, it's none of my business."

"Maybe it is," Kaiba says, putting down his cup.

Jounouchi has been jealous of Yuugi sometimes. He's not perfect, and he's not a saint. "Is it Yuugi?"

Kaiba's lips curve. "I'd forgotten how annoying you could be. Finish your coffee - I think it's time to go home."

 

Jounouchi doesn't call Yuugi to ask if maybe Kaiba's been sending him flowers or something. It doesn't seem a good enough reason to call now, after months of putting it off for 'another day'.

He dreams about someone bombing Kaiba Corp's HQ. It doesn't happen - not the very next day, anyway. He tells himself anyone would be horrified by the thought of someone blowing up an office as big as Kaiba Corp's HQ; there's a lot of people who work there, not just Kaiba.

Kaiba e-mails him a picture of a bunch of roses.

 

'ANGRY BOYFRIEND STORMS INTO KAIBA CORP HQ - JOUNOUCHI KATSUYA: WE'RE IN LOVE'

'KAIBA CORP STOCK ON THE RISE'

"In love?" Kaiba asks, sounding amused.

Jounouchi's not sure why they're having coffee in the Kaiba Corp cafeteria again, instead of somewhere nice. It's private, sure - even at Kaiba Corp, there's not a lot of people around at eight in the evening.

"You know what the media're like." Jounouchi isn't sure if he's in love with Kaiba. He doesn't like the idea of Kaiba dying, or getting hurt, or dating someone not Jounouchi.

"Kaiba Corp does have a quite skilled legal department," Kaiba says. "A lawsuit in case of a misquote is a definite option. It might get them to back off a little."

Jounouchi scowls.

Kaiba smirks.

Perhaps, Jounouchi reflects, he should feel embarrassed that it's taken him this long to figure out how he feels.

(On the other hand, perhaps he isn't the only one.)


End file.
